第53章 Chapter XV.(2)

　　The mill is an immense brick building， standing onthe shore of the bayou. Running out from the buildingis an open shed， at least an hundred feet in length andforty or fifty feet in width. The boiler in which the steamis generated is situated outside the main building； themachinery and engine rest on a brick pier， fifteen feetabove the floor， within the body of the building. Themachinery turns two great iron rollers， between two andthree feet in diameter and six or eight feet in length. Theyare elevated above the brick pier， and roll in towardseach other. An endless carrier， made of chain and wood，like leathern belts used in small mills， extends fromthe iron rollers out of the main building and throughthe entire length of the open shed. The carts in whichthe cane is brought from the field as fast as it is cut， areunloaded at the sides of the shed. All along the endlesscarrier are ranged slave children， whose business it isto place the cane upon it， when it is conveyed throughthe shed into the main building， where it falls betweenthe rollers， is crushed， and drops upon another carrierthat conveys it out of the main building in an oppositedirection， depositing it in the top of a chimney upon afire beneath， which consumes it. It is necessary to burnit in this manner， because otherwise it would soon fillthe building， and more especially because it would soonsour and engender disease. The juice of the cane falls intoa conductor underneath the iron rollers， and is carriedinto a reservoir. Pipes convey it from thence into fivefilterers， holding several hogsheads each. These filterersare filled with bone-black， a substance resemblingpulverized charcoal. It is made of bones calcinated inclose vessels， and is used for the purpose of decolorizing，by filtration， the cane juice before boiling. Through thesefive filterers it passes in succession， and then runs intoa large reservoir underneath the ground floor， fromwhence it is carried up， by means of a steam pump， intoa clarifier made of sheet iron， where it is heated by steamuntil it boils. From the first clarifier it is carried in pipesto a second and a third， and thence into close iron pans，through which tubes pass， filled with steam. While in aboiling state it flows through three pans in succession，and is then carried in other pipes down to the coolers onthe ground floor. Coolers are wooden boxes with sievebottoms made of the finest wire. As soon as the syruppasses into the coolers， and is met by the air， it grains，and the molasses at once escapes through the sieves intoa cistern below. It is then white or loaf sugar of the finestkind—clear， clean， and as white as snow. When cool， it istaken out， packed in hogsheads， and is ready for market.

　　The molasses is then carried from the cistern into theupper story again， and by another process converted intobrown sugar.

　　There are larger mills， and those constructed differentlyfrom the one thus imperfectly described， but none，perhaps， more celebrated than this anywhere on BayouBoeuf. Lambert， of New-Orleans， is a partner of Hawkins.

　　He is a man of vast wealth， holding， as I have been told，an interest in over forty different sugar plantations inLouisiana.

　　The only respite from constant labor the slave hasthrough the whole year， is during the Christmas holidays.

　　Epps allowed us three—others allow four， five and sixdays， according to the measure of their generosity. It isthe only time to which they look forward with any interestor pleasure. They are glad when night comes， not onlybecause it brings them a few hours repose， but because itbrings them one day nearer Christmas. It is hailed withequal delight by the old and the young； even Uncle Abramceases to glorify Andrew Jackson， and Patsey forgets hermany sorrows amid the general hilarity of the holidays.

　　It is the time of feasting， and frolicking， and fiddling—the carnival season with the children of bondage. Theyare the only days when they are allowed a little restrictedliberty， and heartily indeed do they enjoy it.

　　It is the custom for one planter to give a “Christmassupper，” inviting the shaves from neighboring plantationsto join his own on the occasion； for instance， one yearit is given by Epps， the next by Marshall， the next byHawkins， and so on. Usually from three to five hundredare assembled， coming together on foot， in carts， onhorseback， on mules， riding double and triple， sometimesa boy and girl， at others a girl and two boys， and at others again a boy， a girl and an old woman. Uncle Abramastride a mule， with Aunt Phebe and Patsey behindhim， trotting towards a Christmas supper， would be nouncommon sight on Bayou Boeuf.

　　Then， too， “of all days i’ the year，” they array themselvesin their best attire. The cotton coat has been washedclean， the stump of a tallow candle has been applied tothe shoes， and if so fortunate as to possess a rimless ora crownless hat， it is placed jauntily on the head. Theyare welcomed with equal cordiality， however， if theycome bare-headed and bare-footed to the feast. As ageneral thing， the women wear handkerchiefs tied abouttheir heads， but if chance has thrown in their way afiery red ribbon， or a cast-off bonnet of their mistress’

　　grandmother， it is sure to be worn on such occasions.

　　Red—the deep blood red—is decidedly the favorite coloramong the enslaved damsels of my acquaintance. If ared ribbon does not encircle the neck， you will be certainto find all the hair of their woolly heads tied up with redstrings of one sort or another.